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At what point does a baby get human rights?
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To the Editor:
In an August interview, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain were each asked the question, “At what point does a baby get human rights?” (Interviews were by Rick Warren on Aug. 16, 2008 and aired by CNN.) Sen. McCain responded, “At the moment of conception.” Sen. Obama answered that it was “above my pay grade” to know the answer. I heartily applaud Sen. McCain’s answer. Sen. Obama’s answer begs further analysis.
I assume Mr. Obama was speaking his version of the standard answer given by pro-abortion advocates. What does “above my pay grade” mean? Listening to the interview, it seemed to mean that the question is far too complex to answer in concrete terms, supposedly based on what biological science tells us today. In other words, the pro-abortion advocates are saying, “we don’t know” or “we can’t know” exactly when viable life begins.
This is a profoundly troubling statement. In effect, pro-abortion advocates are saying, “we are not sure when a baby’s life begins. Yet until we do know, we are willing to err on the side of murder. Until science shows us when life begins, we are willing to kill, even though we might be proven wrong later.” Is this the wise reasoning of an enlightened, civilized people? Where else have we ever given murder the benefit of the doubt?
What will we say when science finally “discovers” that viable human life begins at the moment of conception?
Since Roe v. Wade in 1973, our nation has lived with an indefensibly flawed and shameful decision. In turn this has led to what is easily the greatest tragedy in terms of bloodshed that the world has known (estimated at over 45 million deaths to date). May America’s conscience be awakened and pricked, that this tragedy would end and that the bloodshed would cease.
David Winnes
Crooked Creek Township
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Support a change on Nov. 4
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To the Editor:
In the past several weeks, we have seen numerous letters in area newspapers personally attacking Rep. Ken Tschumper.
These negative letters have been written by the extreme right of the Houston County Republican Party. Unfortunately, for mainstream Republicans who believe in running a fair and honest campaign, and discussing the important issues of our time, Greg Davids and the extreme right of their party have taken complete control of the Houston County Republican Party.
While Rep. Tschumper has been traveling throughout Fillmore and Houston counties meeting with his constituents and discussing the important issues of the economy and our energy future, Greg Davids and these members of the far right have been seen throughout the district chanting “drill, baby, drill”.
Now, I assume that Davids and his supporters have not been listening to America’s business leaders. Leaders like T. Boone Pickens, who repeatedly has told us that we cannot drill our way out of this energy crisis. The time is now for investing and developing our future energy needs and that is the path Rep. Tschumper is on.
Rep. Tschumper has worked tirelessly in the state Legislature to improve the Minnesota economy, to protect our precious natural resources, to improve our education system through increased funding, to help all Minnesotans to obtain affordable health care, and he helped pass the transportation bill that brought real dollars to Houston County roads.
There is a clear choice on Nov. 4. We can vote for real change and real hope by supporting Barack Obama, Al Franken, Tim Walz, and Ken Tschumper or we can support Greg Davids and the same failed policies of the last eight years.
Stephen Kemp
Spring Grove, Mn
Houston County DFL Chair
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We need Tschumper to look out for our health and environment
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To the Editor:
Thanks to Rep. Ken Tschumper for all the work he does to protect the environment and the health of our families. We’re especially grateful for his work to ban Atrazine and chemical drift due to agricultural spraying.
Atrazine, a weed-killer, is linked to prostate cancer, birth defects, premature births and miscarriage.
Many of our wells in SE Minnesota are heavily contaminated with Atrazine due to run-off. Also Atrazine, presumably, is carried by the wind.
In a recent study by the MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) and the State Agriculture Department, 9 out of 10 lakes tested in Minnesota included traces of Atrazine. Some of these lakes are in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, far from agricultural areas.
To deny the risks of this hazardous chemical purely for the reasons of convenience and economics is irresponsible and unconscionable.
We need Ken Tschumper in the State Legislature to look out for the health of the people and the environment of Minnesota.
Bob Bovee and Gail Heil
Spring Grove
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We need a voice for rural Minnesota
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To the Editor:
The State of California is asking for the next bailout followed by Massachusetts. Does anyone know what these two states have in common? Those politicians have wrecked the finances of their state with liberalism and now they come to the taxpayers to bail them out, all due to their expensive failed liberal policies. The same failed policies that Ken Tschumper and the Twin Cities liberals want implemented here: gay marriage, universal health care, the banning of atrazine and finally no new oil drilling.
Tschumper also wants more money for Twin Cities’ schools while our schools do with less money. He had a chance to fight for us. Instead of speaking out, he took the easy way out and voted the way his Twin Cities friends wanted.
Aren’t we all tired of bailing these people out? I know I am. We can’t afford Ken Tschumper’s ideas. Please vote for Greg Davids so we can have a voice again in rural Minnesota.
Tucker Wiech
Rushford, Minn.
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We aren’t second-class citizens
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To the Editor:
Why is it that we who live in rural Minnesota are treated like second-class citizens until someone wants our vote?
That’s my beef with State Representative Kenny Tschumper. Did he stand up to those Twin Cities politicians when they gave more state money to schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul? No.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why schools in the inner cities get more money per student - much more - than our schools in southeastern Minnesota. It’s no fair, and I want someone to bring that message to those bureaucrats at the Capitol.
Ken Tschumper had a chance to fight to level the playing field regarding school funding. Instead of speaking out on our behalf, he took the easy way out and voted the way his Twin Cities friends wanted him to. And that’s a shame.
Flora R. Grabau
Preston, Minn.
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Shedding light on recent economic problems
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To the Editor:
I would like to share the facts about the recent economic problems we are experiencing with the lending institutions and these large bailouts.
In 1932, FDR was elected and in 1933 the Glass-Stengall Act of 1933 was passed which had separated commercial and investment banking and prevent what happened in that era with the banks.
In 1999, President Clinton signed legislation that repealed the Glass-Stengall Act of 1933 which had separated commercial and investment banking. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act passed the Senate on a 90-8 vote, among them 38 Democrats, quite vocal supporters of the deregulation bill, including Chuck Schumer, John Kerry, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Dick Durbin, Tom Daschle, and Joe Biden. “Senator Schumer was especially fulsome in his endorsement,” observes the Wall Street Journal.
In 2003, The Bush administration expressed concern to Congress about the way Ginnie Mae and Freddie Mac were heading and Congress paid no attention.
In 2004 Senator McCain co-sponsored a bill with others that called for more regulations and was very concerned over how this deregulation was affecting the country, and it was soundly put down by the Democrats. Senator Obama blamed the Bush administration, but it was the policies of the Clinton administration that sowed the seeds for the sub-prime mortgage collapse. I watched a video of C-span in late 2004 of the Senate expressing absolutely no concern for where this was heading and in fact it showed the Democrats express anger over this ridiculous concern and wasting their time talking about it. One of them praised Frank Raines for the wonderful job he was doing as the CEO.
In the latest AARP paper, which has interviews by both candidates of their views and one of which I would like to point out on Social Security which Senator Obama answered with a proposal of closing much of that gap by imposing a payroll tax on income of $150,000 to being a decade from now. I understand from watching reports that SS each year has a surplus and at the end of the year which the Congress quickly supposedly borrow for their pork barrel ideas in their districts they represent. Ten years is a long time from now.
Another issue is an amendment in the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 which 35 Democratic Senators voted AGAINST English as the national language among which were Senator Obama and Senator Clinton. I am very concerned in this country, our America, when sometimes, you are not considered for a job because you can’t speak Spanish and some jobs if you refuse to learn English, you don’t have to. Where are the rights of the American people?
A concerned citizen,
Dolores Link
Caledonia, Minn.
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